Zazzle Shop

Monday, March 14, 2011

Cuttino Mobley retired from the NBA as a New York Knick in 2008 because of a chronic heart condition. Now he wants to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Rhode Island, where he starred for the University of Rhode Island before being drafted by Houston in 1998. In a profile by the Providence Journal-Bulletin, Mobley stated that he wants to open a "wellness center" in Warwick, RI, because he "wants to help people." He is one of the 18 applications under consideration for opening a dispensary in Rhode Island, which legalized medicinal marijuana for chronic pain in 2009. The state will license three of the 18 applicants. More about why the ex-baller wants to become a greenepreuer and open a dispensary below, via the Providence Journal:

It was about what he wants to do with the rest of his life. “I want to help people,” he said.

He knows that innumerable people have helped him along the way, from Max Good at Maine Central, to Jim Harrick at URI, who gave him confidence, assistant coach Bill Coen, who made him start to believe in his talent. It’s also the way he was raised, his version of spirituality, the sense that you help others when you can. So he helps fund an AAU team in Philadelphia. He built a basketball court in Africa. He helps out his old high school. He has a foundation in Philadelphia that helps single mothers and homeless kids.

“You get it after a while,” Mobley said. “You know what you’re supposed to do.” One of the things he wants to do now is start a wellness center in Warwick, one that will be allowed to dispense medical marijuana. He says he got interested in the field of wellness both through his own medical condition and those of other people close to him, and adds that the health field is one of the fastest growing in the country.

The plan also is to get more involved in Rhode Island, this state that helped him at a vulnerable time in his life, this state that saw him go from a young, unstructured kid to someone who grabbed the basketball dream and has made the most of it. This state that he feels has tremendous potential, a future he wants to be part of.

“I’ve done well,” he said, “and I want everyone to do well. Let’s all do well together.”

The reformed group - now called Sublime With Rome - has signed to Fueled By Ramen

By Andy Greene

Legendary Los Angeles ska punk band Sublime have signed to Fueled by Ramen, and this summer will release their first LP since original frontman Bradley Nowell died in 1996. The group - now billed as Sublime With Rome - features surviving members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson alongside twenty-two year old Rome Ramirez, who joined the reformed group in 2009.

The band is currently cutting the disc at Sonic Ranch studio in El Paso, Texas with producer Paul Leary, who worked with the band on their self-titled 1996 LP. “Everything’s been going amazing in the studio," Ramirez said in a statement. "The music has been coming along great, and we’re confident that we’re making a record that will stand the test of time. We can’t wait for the fans to hear it, and are already planning a world tour to bring it to them live.” Details of the tour will be announced shortly.

After Nowell's death in 1996, Wilson and Gaugh carried on for five years as Long Beach Dub Allstars. Meanwhile, Sublime's legacy grew as teenagers across the country discovered the band's music. Sublime tribute bands began attracting gigantic crowds, and in 2009 Wilson and Gaugh recruited Ramirez began performing as Sublime until Nowell's estate filed a laswuit claiming they didn't own the rights to that name. The matter was quietly settled last year, and Sublime began performing again - only this time under the moniker Sublime with Rome.

The Nowell estate bears no grudge. “Sublime with Rome earned the fans' approval with their live performances by showing it was never about replacing or forgetting Brad - it was about celebrating the music," Nowell's widow Troy Nowell-Holmes said in a statement. "And now the next chapter begins. Rome is such a great songwriter and with Bud and Eric's amazing talent to back him up, Sublime with Rome will thrive and shine in its own right. I can't wait to hear the new material because I know how talented they all are.”

Smashing Apps has been featured at Wordpress Showcase. If you like Smashing Apps and would like to share your love with us so you can click here to rate us.

Advertisement

As entertaining as they are, unfortunately portable media players cannot handle all media types you throw at them. Unless there comes an all-format-accepting portable media player, we have to use video conversion software to transform our media type before our iPhones and iPods can play them.
For my fellow iPhone and iPod owners who are looking for a competent yet free software solution for video conversion, here are 5 of the best options available online. I am sure that you will find them as useful as I did.

FreeStudio is DVDVideoSoft’s handy video conversion freeware that will excellently suit iPhone and iPod video conversions. The application is compatible with Windows computers and facilitates various video format conversions. While its download size is quite high – 58MB – the features surely justify it.

Any Video Converter Free is a personal favorite of mine because it excellently blends functionality with an appealing user interface. A wide variety of media formats are supported and converting video for your iOS device will be very easy. You can control advanced conversions options as well such as video and audio bitrates.

Quick Media Converter comes in the setup size of 28MB. Along with supporting video conversions between various file formats, it provides a progress bar with each conversion process so you know how much of the process has completed and how much is left.

Although Format Factory does not offer the prettiest user interface, it does offer the most functionality out of the other entries in this list. Supporting media conversions between various video, audio, and image formats, Format Factory can quite easily become your default media conversion application. The program has a setup file size of 38MB.

photo: iPad_2
The usual frenzy broke loose as soon as Apple (AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPad 2 — and on March 11, the first day it went on sale, lines at Apple stores were epic as usual.

If you’re one of the 15 million people who bought an iPad last year — and are among the early adopters who patiently waited for hours yesterday to get the new one — you may be wondering how to swap your old tablet out for the shiny new iPad 2 without taking a huge loss. Here are some tips for finding good trade-in deals:

Compare Buyback Sites

Depending on the condition of your iPad, various websites offer different buyback values. With a few minutes of research, you could squeeze an extra $50 or more out of your old gear, so our first tip is to make sure to compare options.

NextWorth.com, a consumer electronics upgrade and trade-in company, is one of several sites offering cash for first generation iPads with light wear, and competitive deals for heavier wear. At NextWorth.com, you can see exactly what cash amount you’re going to get for your iPad, and what percentage of the original retail value. NextWorth’s trade-in prices as of 2/23/11 for light wear were:

NextWorth partners with Target, so you can walk in to your local Target store and receive cash back for your first generation iPad rather than through the website. If you aren’t looking to upgrade to the iPad 2 with the cash you get back, you can instead receive a prepaid Target gift card for in-store credit.

If your iPad is in near-perfect condition, you can get $300 for a 16GB Wifi model at Gazelle.com. For slight wear and tear, such as light scratches, however, NextWorth’s $255 trade-in beats Gazelle’s cash offer of $240.

Don’t write off eBay or Amazon

Ebay, the world’s most popular online auction website, is definitely a viable option for selling your iPad and getting an aggressive deal. Thousands have already put their first generation iPads up for bid, and even with the new overload of inventory, some are selling for as high as 80% of their original price. Your success will depend both on the condition of your iPad and how lucky you are with bidders. The outcome of an auction is hard to judge, so Ebay lets you set a minimum amount you will accept.

If you haven’t bought or sold through the e-commerce company Amazon, here’s a little tid-bit on why the site is so popular: Amazon carries its own inventory, but also offers new, used and refurbished products sold through private owners. Buyers can look up all the details they need on the product’s capabilities and condition, and then buy the item through private sellers at lower-than-retail prices. You can piggyback off of Amazon’s reputation and sell your iPad by undercutting Amazon’s price when you list your iPad there.
If you’re thinking about selling your iPad at either eBay or Amazon, it helps to have positive reviews to gain customer credibility and therefore get the most cash for your used gadget. But even if you’re new to the sites, you can still get great deals.

Consider selling locally

The flood of iPad supply in online secondary markets has pushed resale prices down already, even just a day after the iPad 2 announcement. If you wait too long to sell, you may not get the deal you want, due to continued price drops. However, many consumers prefer to buy used electronics locally, where they can test them out for themselves before handing over cash. An excellent alternative to selling your iPad on eBay, Amazon, NextWorth, or other sites is to list it on Craigslist or other local classifieds in your area. You’ll be able to set your own price and possibly squeeze a little extra out of your old tablet. Consider marking up the price a bit to compensate for shipping no longer being a factor.

If all else fails, iPad 1 is still as capable as it was when you bought it (assuming you haven’t been using it as a frisbee). Even if you do nab iPad 2, your original tablet can be used in a variety of clever ways, such as a secondary screen for a laptop. Shoot, velcro it to a treadmill or the back of a car seat. But if sell you must, be strategic about comparing the going rates at different marketplaces, and do it fast before your tablet is worth only as much as the apps you’ve bought!

Shane Snow is Editor-in-chief and cofounder of Contently.com, which contributed this post exclusively for Mint.

Ian M. Sherwin Giclée

.
All you art collectors out there. Here is a chance to get a Giclee copy of some of Ian M Sherwin work. Ian is planning on doing a whole series of Marblehead, Massachusetts paintings.His work is amazing.